Pearls
by jeanne.summers
Summary: moments, considerations, ponderations, prompts, ficlets and mild AU-ness from the H2O universe
1. Pearls

Sometimes, not often, but sometimes on their explorations of the reef and surrounding sea bed they would find oysters and sometimes, not often but sometimes, with in they would find a pearl. They didn't take the pearl, they let it stay and grow, but they would move the oysters into a small niche at the bottom of the moon pool.

Pearls made such a nice metaphor, strings of them at least; ever since the three girls had become mermaids they had found some brilliant and beautiful moments and made wonderful memories, some of them in the most unlikely of places. They were precious, almost rare and cherished all the more because of it. The three of them were like a string of pearls, brought together by the ocean, wondrous moments, precious beads, strung together and spanning the length of their friendship.

Sometimes, not often but sometimes, they would gather enough pearls to make a necklace, when they had three they would wear them with pride as they swum the ocean, always reminded that they were like pearls.


	2. Quiet waters

One thing she loved about the ocean was no matter what time of day it was, it was always quiet. The water always felt so good on her skin, and the fish didn't care what she was, it made no difference to them if she was an air-breather.

She liked the ocean's floor too. She could always find something pretty there; she just had to be careful not to cut herself on poisonous coral.

She would live down here forever if she could, maybe one day she would, but she couldn't just pack up and leave, she had people counting on her, friends, a family, and a boyfriend. Not today, but maybe one day. Today she would just rejoice in the ocean for the only thing se loved more than the quiet of the ocean, was being a mermaid.


	3. Moon

It was the moon.

It had always been the moon. So bright and… caring. So understanding. Sometimes silver, sometimes gold, once it had even gleamed with a red tinge, but it had always been the moon. Shaping them, guiding them, giving them this incredible gift, and bringing them together.

The moon had made them part of something much bigger then just them; something so grand they had only seen glimpses of it in the few months since they had received this gift. Through the moon's power they had known such wonders, they had seen such beauty and now… now it was slipping from their grasp.

As one the three girls plunged into the moon pool and let their powers be drained by the dark moon above, the same moon which had given them the magic to become mermaids.

In moments it was over, they were once more: just human. With triumphant masks on, they left the cave leaving a disillusioned marine biologist behind them.

They may not be mermaids any longer but they were, and always would be friends.

Drawn together by the pull of the moon.


	4. Corrupting Power

The gifts of the Ocean and the Moon are very odd things

The gifts of the Ocean and the Moon are very odd things. They should never be taken, they must be given. The Ocean and the Moon have no way of stopping those that seek their treasure, but to take them costs a heavy price, even for those who were destined for them.

The price is steep, and it is dangerous after all, the Ocean and the Moon do have their dark sides, and for all their beauty and order there is a chaotic savage madness in them. A madness like a poison or a sickness that creeps up on a person.

To take the gifts of the Ocean and the Moon is to take their madness that is the price of undeserved power.


	5. Death of a Goddess

She could feel it coming closer, they all could. It drew them as much as it repulsed them; they all knew what this moon had put on the line tonight: _everything_.

This battle amongst goddesses, this battle that should not have been would decide the fate of all things, it would choose who would live and who, on this night, would cease to be.

In a way it was a test, the worthy would win. _She_ would win, because she as worthy of the gifts she had been given, it was in her blood.

She waited at the sacred pool, they came in a swirl of steam, both sides eyed one another and then the battle was joined. They attacked first, a sphere of ice was hurtled toward her; she managed to repel it back at them though the chilling orb missed. From the waters of the sacred pool she summoned a three headed water serpent, it lunged at them, one head for each of them but they fought back.

The injured serpent returned to the waters and she summoned another, it encircled the others and drove them to the waters edge, with their backs to the water that would end this battle they fought back.

One by one the others added their powers together to call a great storm and from the clouds came a bolt of lightning that struck her great serpent, dissipating it back into the water; then they turned their powers on her.

She put her all into the power she channelled through her hands, it met with theirs and for a moment the world was spinning, then the power of three surpassed her own powers and flung her above the sacred waters.

She flailed in the air looking up to see the clouds disappear and the moon shine down. Below her the water began to bubble, glimmers of magic rising. The lights floated around her as she gazed up at the moon only one word crossed her mind, 'Why.' A sense of inevitability settled over her and she gazed at her foes, her fate sealed, and then they dropped her.

She splashed into the bubbling water and immediately she could feel her powers fading, her life force waning, all that she was was being drawn from her, she felt the light leaving her and at the same time she felt a sick darkness, that she had not even known was there, being pulled from her.

It was over in what seemed to be an eternity squeezed inside an instant. She pulled herself from the pool. The three stood there watching, and then the heat master, the goddess of lightning, spoke.

"Nice legs." Beside her the goddess of motion and wind and the goddess of the cold and snow smirked, revelling in their victory over the goddess who had ceased to be, the mad goddess who was now human.


	6. nonexistant

She lay on her bed facing away from the door, a sob working its way from her. She didn't want to cry, what had happened to her wasn't something she should be crying over, according to her two friends who were with her, it was the greatest thing ever.

Maybe it was but she was scared, not totally-phobic-having-a-spazz-attack scared, just scared. This was not suppose to happen to people, not meant to happen to girls her age, girls her age were supposed to worry about school and clothes and boys and having _fun_.

Not her, nope, she had to worry about _water_, one drop and ten seconds later, BAM, she grew a scaly tail. At least it wasn't slimy, and at least for what ever reason, tears didn't cause the transformation because now she _was_ crying.

What she was going through was just so weird, and she just wanted some one to talk to. She could talk to her friends, the two that were going through this with her, but they didn't understand that she was afraid of this as much as she was enamoured by the idea of being a mermaid. So that left only one person she could turn to: her sister.

She and her sister didn't always get along but they did love each other, but lately they'd been so distant, ever since her sister had started hanging out with her two best friends compulsively. She'd tried talking to her sister but her sister always had to be somewhere else or was always doing something else or was always with someone else.

She felt invisible to her sister, like she didn't matter anymore; couldn't her sister see she was going through something? Couldn't her sister understand that she needed her? Was she really that unimportant to her sister?

The door behind her creaked open slowly, she ignored it. Someone walked over to her bed, she ignored them. Then her sister got on the bed and lay right behind her hugging her as best she could from the awkward position. She sniffled a bit and her sister handed her a box of tissues.

They stayed there like that for an hour, not moving, not speaking. Finally her tears ran out, her frustration was swept away in the receding tears. They sat up and she turned to her sister.

"You okay?" her sister offered a few more tissues as she spoke.

"Yeah, just stressed," came the reply. Her sister smiled at her and held out her hand.

"I have to go shopping for sleep over supplies, wanna come with me? We could even sneak you into the sleep over." She hesitated; go to her sister's sleepover? "Come on, it'll be a girls night, just the four of us." Her sister beckoned slightly with her hand. She nodded; wiping the last few tears from her eyes Kim took her sisters hand and let Cleo pull her from the bed. Maybe she wasn't so invisible to Cleo after all.


	7. Dress to impress

"Lewis! I came too…" Cleo cheerful voice halted when she realised who else was in the room she'd just entered. "Charlotte?"

"Cleo?" The red head was seemingly as confused as she was. The looked each other over quickly before turning to Lewis. Both with looks of disbelief on their faces they crossed their arms in front of their chests.

"It's a very funny story-" Lewis's 'very funny story' was cut off by a horn from outside. "That'll be your limo ride, there's enough room for the three off you." Wilfred called over his shoulder, the look on his face suggesting he was enjoying Lewis's predicament just a bit too much. The two girls glared at Lewis.

"Forget it," Charlotte's statement was followed by Cleo's "Me too." The two girls looked at each other once more before turning in opposite directions and leaving through different doors.

Outside the two girls stormed away, in the same direction. They walked together for a minute before they even realised. When they did they stopped. They were angrier at Lewis then at each other at the moment.

"Nice dress," Cleo said as they eyed each other.

"You too," Charlotte replied. The two girls looked at each other for a moment more before they started snickering, then laughing at the whole situation.

"I know a great pizza place that's open all night, wanna go for a slice?" Cleo asked between giggles.

"Sure," The duo linked arms and headed off, talking and giggling.


	8. light from below

The light beneath the water is different from the light above; above it is just there, it simply is. Beneath the waters the light is so much more.

Beneath the waves light is a tangible thing, you can grab it and trail it behind you like a ribbon of luminescent silk.

It reaches down from the surface in shafts and columns; it sinks slowly into the water, taking its time to settle upon the inhabitants as it makes its way down.

In the ocean, far from the arc of the sky, the light settles into a dust across to sandy bottom, mixing and melding with the ancient floor.

The light beneath the water is different from the light above; above it is just there, it simply is. Beneath the water light lives and it exists.


End file.
